Biography

Ya Wang, PhD, joined the Department of Radiation Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine in September 2008 as Professor and Director of the Division of Experimental Radiation Oncology. Prior to joining Emory, Dr. Wang was Professor and Director of the Division of Experimental Radiation Oncology in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

Dr. Wang is a member of the Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics research program at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University.

Education

Dr. Wang received her MD from The Third Medical University, Changquing, China, where she later received her MS. She received her PhD from the Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China. Dr. Wang received her postdoctoral training at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Research

Since becoming an independent investigator in 1997, Dr. Wang's lab has made the following major scientific contributions:

Identify the checkpoint responses including the ATR/CHK1 and Hus1/Rad1/Rad9 pathways that mainly facilitate homologous recombination repair (HRR) but have little effect on non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ).

Identify that the NHEJ pathway actively inhibits checkpoint response.

Identify that high-LET radiation to kill more cells than low-LET radiation at the same dose is due to inefficient NHEJ but is independent of HRR.

Identify that miRNAs are involved in promoting ionizing radiation-induced cell transformation and carcinogenesis.

Currently, the research in Dr. Wang's lab is to elucidate the mechanism by which mammalian cells respond to DNA double strand breaks (DSBs). The research is involved in combining molecular, cellular and animal biology approaches to develop new technology. She hopes that the work in her lab will contribute to improving cancer prevention and treatment.

Publications

Publications

Publication Date

Awards

Dr. Wang received the 2014 Emory 1% Award which recognizes Emory faculty whose National Institutes of Health (NIH) proposals have been ranked in the top 1% by NIH reviewers.